imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Becomes Qualifying Festival for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

imagineNATIVE is proud to announce the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is now a Qualifying Festival for the Best Live Action Short category for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. imagineNATIVE is the first and only Indigenous film festival in the world that is Academy Award qualifying, and is one of the few qualifying festivals in Canada.

This announcement means the winner of imagineNATIVE’s annual Cynthia Lickers-Sage Award for Best Short Work, the Festival’s prize for short narrative works, will be eligible to submit for the Best Live Action Short category at the Oscars, pending compliance with Academy rules. The next qualifying period will be for the 2021 Academy Awards.

We are thrilled for this historic announcement and thank the Academy for welcoming imagineNATIVE into its ranks of Qualifying Festivals,” says Jason Ryle, imagineNATIVE’s Executive Director. “This recognition is the outcome of many people who share a passion for Indigenous-made short films, and who continuously strive to provide opportunities for Indigenous filmmakers. The coming decade will be one of profound growth for the Indigenous screen sector internationally, and this announcement is another significant step towards broadening the appreciation of Indigenous films and expanding the opportunities for the talented individuals who create them.

On Sunday, October 27, 2019 at imagineNATIVE’s Awards Presentation at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, The Cynthia Lickers-Sage Award for Best Short Work was awarded to Moloka’i Bound by Alika Maikau (Hawaiian). Provided the film meets Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences criteria, Moloka’i Bound could qualify for submission for the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021.
 

imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
www.imagineNATIVE.org
facebook/imagineNATIVE / Twitter and Instagram: @imagineNATIVE

Media Contact: Damien Nelson, damien@wantandable.ca, +1 416.693.4425
 The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the world’s largest Indigenous festival showcasing film, video, audio, and digital & interactive media made by Indigenous screen-content creators. The Festival presents compelling and distinctive works from Canada and around the globe, reflecting the diversity of Indigenous nations and illustrating the vitality and dynamism of Indigenous arts, perspectives, and cultures in contemporary media.